Ask The Trainer:"What are some ways I can stay motivated?"

Now that summer is here staying motivated can be quiet easy. The warm weather and longer days allow for us to be outside more and be more active. Most of us work hard during the winter to fit into our summer clothes and that’s a great way to keep motivated. All the hard work you did all winter will show this summer and by continuing to workout during this time of year will make you feel good in your summer clothes. Plan some hikes, or water activities such as paddleboarding to enjoy the summer days. Keep setting goals during the summer. We all set goals early on in the year to lose weight or get to a certain size by a certain date. Why not keep those goals throughout the year so you are always challenging yourself and it will minimize setbacks. Reward yourself with some new clothes to show off during the summer months and even into the fall and winter.

Earvin Bahena, NSCA - CSCS

Motivation like everything else can fluctuate depending on your mood or even the time of the year. The best way to stay ahead of your drop in motivation is to come up with a plan to help you push past this. You can start off by setting small short term weekly goals, this will allow you to easily track your goals and get a sense of accomplishment weekly. You can also rearrange your goals to become more performance based for the time being. A goal of how many push ups you can do in a minute or how long you can walk in certain time span, this can get your mind off “how I look” goals and more on how well your body is performing. Rewarding yourself can also help boost your mood and give you an incentive to continue working towards your goal.

Spencer O'Neil, NASM- CPT

When it comes to motivation and staying consistent with workouts it can be tough at times. When I feel like the workouts have become repetitive and monotonous I like switching up my workouts and surroundings as well. When it's time to workout and I don’t have the energy and motivation I need, rather than cancel it outright I’ll opt to modify to ensure some work gets done. If I can’t do my run that day I’ll at least walk the beach trail. Some days I’m still sore from a prior workout and instead of lifting I’ll do mobility work. There is always something you can do whether it’s working out or just taking care of the body. It’s the consistency over intensity mindset that helps with staying motivated and getting something done even when you don’t feel like it.

Nikki Davis, ACE- CPT

Motivation is not about being disciplined to do some physically active and healthy for your body 24/7, it stems from what you love the most. You may love love hiking versus walking on a treadmill or cookies more than 15 min of abs. It is important to be truthful and reframe what you love the most and by doing so you will reap those results. Some ways to help you stay motivated may include, planning an aerobic activity with a friend once or twice a week, keeping each other accountable through text. Put a new workout music playlist together. Change up your routine whether exercise or eating when you get bored. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t accomplish x amount of time during cardio or make poor non nutritional eating choices, just choose to control and change the decisions the next day through one small attainable goal. Keep daily reminders on your phone of things you would consider a success for the day and repeat them.